3 idle thoughts for Christmas

1. The first Christmas toy I remember was when I was three. It was a toy truck. My parents went back to bed, and my two brothers, my sister and I stayed up to play with our gifts. I rolled my truck down the stairs. That ended their sleep and my truck.

2. When my oldest brother, Tommy, and my sister, Diana, were 6 and 7, my dad took them into the bathroom of our house. He said that they knew there was no Santa Claus, but the two younger boys didn't and that they should keep the story alive for Gary and me.

A clear-eyed Diana said, "Okay." A teary-eyed Tommy said: "There's no Santa Claus?"

3. When I was 4 years old, the whole family was driving up to Cashion Christian Church in Cashion, Okla., to attend the Christmas Eve services/party. Marion Jindra, a farmer in the community, always dressed up as Santa Claus and handed out gifts and treats.

My dad, who was driving, asked: "Terry, are you looking forward to a visit from Santa Claus?"

I murmured, more to myself than to him, "There's no Santa Claus!"

My 8-year-old sister Diana elbowed me in the ribs. "He doesn't know you know," she whispered angrily.

Of course, there's a Santa Claus.

We at the Airline Biz blog with you Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays or whatever the appropriate wish for you might be.

I'll be off until Jan. 4. But Eric Torbenson is keeping the blog fed and is waiting to hear from you. Meanwhile, we'll keep rolling out our top 10 airline stories from 2009.

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